Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Obligation to the Public

Brooke Davis
bs263114@ohio.edu

Jour·nal·ist

/ˈjərn(ə)ləst/
noun
A person who writes for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or prepares news to be broadcast.

That is the definition of a journalist, so what does being a journalist really mean? In todays society it seems like anyone can call themselves a journalist as long as they have a cellphone and internet access because it gives them the ability to share information with a large audience. So instead of figuring out WHO the “real” journalists are, let’s talk about WHAT ethics real journalists should have and then YOU can decide whom you can trust and call a journalist.


-        The word ethic, by definition, is a set of moral principles, especially ones relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct.



-        The word responsibility, by definition, is the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone.


Put the two words together and what does it mean? In simple terms, Ethical Responsibility is a set of rules or morals that we as people follow to fulfill a truthful duty to something or someone.

via Cartoonbstock.com
What is Journalism for?

The Elements of Journalism written by Bill Kovach & Tom Rosenstiel, states that journalism is “for building a sense of community that the government could not control. Journalism was for citizenship. Journalism was for democracy... Journalism was for taking back the language from the government that had subverted it with propaganda that undermined freedom of thought it-self.” (Page 15, What is Journalism For?)

What do these words mean? Journalism is used to provide the truth to the general public.

Who controls what the media says?

After reading the paragraph above you’d think the answer to this next question is easy, but it’s not that simple. I’ve answered what journalism is supposed to be used for, but does that mean that it’s always used in that way? Absolutely not. It’s no secret that local news stations are owned by larger corporations such as CBS, ABC, NBC etc., but did you know that smaller stations are still paid locally? Meaning, each affiliate station earns money based on advertising and after affiliate programming costs are met, news anchors are paid. This does NOT mean the media is controlled by affiliates, conglomerate buyers, or other national owners, but what if there was a breaking news story on one of the companies that pays the station? Would you run the story OR would you not report on it because they sign your pay check? That question brings us to our last section.

Ethics vs Morals in the workplace

Hypothetically, let’s say a local metro-park pays a large amount of money for advertising through your news stations, but you just found out that the owner of this metro-park is pocketing donations that are supposed to go to a charity. Do you run this story or do you choose not to report on it because of the money you receive from the metro-park?

This is where ethics vs morals in the workplace can be tricky.

Ethics, by definition, refer to rules provided by an external source, such as codes of conduct or rules enforced in workplaces.
Morals, by definition, refer to an individual’s own principles regarding right and wrong.

Say that the director doesn’t not want to run the story because it would ruin the relationship with the metro-park and lose the money that keeps the station running.

Do you:
1.) Run the story because you feel that it is morally right and follows your personal ethics code?
OR
2.) Go against your obligation to the public to keep your director happy and keep the income the station is currently receiving?

via Cartoonstock.com
Overall, all of these examples and points are to show you:
1.) What ethical responsibility is and how it should be used
2.) What is journalism used for.
3.) Who controls the media.
4.) Ethics vs Morals, but also recognize others ethics codes may not always be good.

Here is a short video breaking down journalism ethics and responsibility. 




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